“I am walking a fine line!”
With almost 600.000 subscribers, Luke Meagher or the “@Hautelemode” rose to fame for his Youtube reviews of red carpet looks and fashion shows. Meagher pointedly takes a swipe at a fashion world that often refuses to accept criticism.
The fact that “The Emperor’s New Clothes” are also discussed in the digital era by means of a comment function is one of the secrets of success of the social media star, who now devotes himself full-time to his growing community, as he told L’officiel Austria.
What did you like so much about Youtube that you became a creator?
I jumped on the Youtube society because I had the feeling that people were really interested in the human being. And it didn’t always have to be about the things you wear. It’s much more about educating yourself and learning.
Speaking of education, you know so much about fashion. Where did you learn from?
I was about 15 years old when I started to get into it. I read a lot, for example, Wikipedia pages, because there was a lot of information there, at least for someone who couldn’t afford even a single magazine. So in that respect, I read a lot on the internet and watched old fashion shows on Youtube. And as time passed by, I thought, “Ok, maybe I should read a book about this, because there might be a lot more information in that than I initially thought.” These are things that have nothing to do with normal academic training.
Do you see yourself as a completely independent content creator?
Personally, I felt like no one knew who I was or what I was doing because I think a lot of people don’t watch Youtube if they work in the fashion business. That’s where this idea of independence comes from. But since the pandemic, I’ve become much more open to brands and communicate with them in a way that allows me to still be unbiased. At the moment, everyone has the opportunity to express their opinion publicly.
But why are many influencers not doing exactly that?
I don’t know any celebrities that talk openly. And in that respect, I think being able to be so far away from the people, the collections or the brands that you’re talking about gives with the opportunity to really say what they feel.
The anthem of the industry in the last decade has been to make fashion more democratic. Do you think that has really happened?
I think things have become much more democratic through social media. But I wouldn’t say that’s the case with the fashion industry. Especially when it comes to jobs it still needs more diversity.